


The way you said I love you - as we huddle together the storm raging outside.

by princessvicky01



Series: Short one offs [6]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Fluff, Mindless Fluff, Multi, OT3, Other, Romantic Fluff, Short, Short & Sweet, Short One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-08
Updated: 2017-04-08
Packaged: 2018-10-16 13:43:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10572495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/princessvicky01/pseuds/princessvicky01
Summary: Short one off from a tumblr prompt. Cullen X Annabel X Kelandris OT3 RelationshipThe ladies have returned during one of the worst storms Skyhold has ever seen and need some TLC from their Commander.(Note: Kelandris Trevelyan is inner-muse oc - who she kindly lets me borrow!)





	

“What do I pay these people for?” Kelandris growls. Her tone is low and sharp and jolts Annabel back into focus.

She had been trudging, head down, up the stairs behind Kelandris, weary and soaked to the bone. The cold had seeped through to stiffen her muscles and every step brought a grunt and an unwelcome squish of wet fabric.

“What are you -“ Annabel stops her complaint as she sees Kelandris wearing a thunderous scowl with sodden hair plastered across her face. She’s standing by an empty hearth, the windows have been left open and rain has swept in, making their chambers almost as cold and bleak as outside.

There’s no fire and what’s worse, no kindling to make one. They had arrived bitterly late in the night, in the midst of the most vicious storm Skyhold had ever seen and it seemed all the staff had taken to their cosy beds early.

As deeply as the need for a fire calls to Annabel, the call to sleep resonates deeper. She was so tiered she thought she might actually cry. They’d been marching for days on end, hoping to beat the storm back and failing miserably. Blearily she heads towards the bed but a snap from Kelandris about ‘no wet sheets’ makes her groan and instead collapse over dramatically onto the floor at the foot of the bed.

Laying there, eyes closed, beyond exhausted, she puffs shallow ragged breaths. She sense’s Kelandris hovering over and dismisses her with a wave. It doesn’t work, already she can feel her love starting to unlace her boot, looking after her, as always, and causing guilt to prop her up onto her elbows.

“You’ll catch your death in these wet clothes,” mumbles Kelandris, eyes fixed on the task at hand.

“And you will in yours,” Annabel quips, finally hauling herself fully upright to offer her a tender, slightly lop sided smile.

“Inquisitor, Herald, are you alright?” The gasp of Cullen’s voice breaks their gaze on each other. Rushing over he’s already knelt beside them. His thick ringlet curls confirm the rain continued to pour in torrents as the storm battered the keep.

“We will be,” huffs Kelandris finally tugging off Annabel’s boot with a grimace.

“I was so worried…” Cullen can’t wait any longer, wet clothes be damned, he _needs_ to hold them and he scopes them both into his arms. He’d paced the floor all day as the skies blackened and winds howled down from the mountains bringing the scent of rain thick and heavy on the air.

For a long moment, they seem to just rest against him and contently he tries to listen to their breathing. “I love you,” he mumbles into their darkened hair, huddled together, the storm raging outside, he savours their presence and feels himself settle as they say it back. Their words, tender and true.

Despite his armour, he can feel Annabel begin to tremble in his arms and finally he lets go. He looks at them to find Annabel is biting at her quivering bottom lip, apparently trying to stop its tremble but to no avail. Kelandris is holding up slightly better but dark circles under her eyes give away her deep-set exhaustion.

He turns to inspect the fire, only to find there isn’t one. “Andraste preserve me. No wonder you’re freezing! Wait here.” He issues the pointless command and dashes off to fetch fire wood.

When he returns, he finds them on the sofa, in thick dressing gowns with woollen socks pulled up to their knees. They’ve dragged it in front of the empty fireplace and are sat hugging each other, he can see their limbs clearly entwined despite the a heavy blanket covering.

They are so beautiful like this, with puffy eyes, windswept hair and reddened noses, that he stops to admire them for a second. Or at least until Kelandris clears her throat and then he hastily sets about building and lighting the fire. 

Annabel gives an audible moan of relief as the first flicker of flames start to radiate their warmth and he takes great pleasure in watching a smile softly spread across her face. His expression mimics hers as he moves to join them.

“What do you think you’re doing?”

Kelandris question makes him pause and blink, she always had a way of turning his mind blank with the simplest of sentences.

“You’re not joining us in those wet clothes,” she states. Annabel has nuzzled close to her but Cullen notices how her eyes peak open at the statement.

Typical, he thinks, with a light smirk. “Of course, my lady,” he replies then nods his head. Methodically he undresses to his dry linen under clothes and sleeks back his loose curls. He’s about to ask if that will do, but when he turns he finds they’ve already fallen asleep. 

He takes a few more private moments to admire their intimacy. The way they snuggled together, so peaceful, it was heartwarmingly adorable and not what one might expect from two powerful warrior women made of fire and ice.

Kelandris seems still awake enough to lift the covers and invite him in, although her eyes remain closed. So, he joins them, wrapping one arm around them both, they shift to lean into him. 

Quietly he rests, listening to the rain beat down against the thin glass windows while he soaks up their familiar mixed scent. It all combines with the warm ruddy glow of the fire to ease his tired mind, and soon he finds himself drifting off to sleep with them.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it! I love this OT3 so much XD
> 
> Kudo and comments always welcome!


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